Anyone changed clutch?

[komichal]

Hi fams,
I bought Yaris 2007 (2SZ-FE 64kW) few years ago and so far it goes fine, except for the clutch, from the moment I bought it it has been quite tough to press and now it is even tougher (especially when I was driving some other car for a month).
The clutch itself is not slipping though. Maybe a change would help? The car now has almost 100,000 miles (I am responsible for half of it).
The garages around want 450 USD for this job (incl. everything) while the clutch set (Luk or Valeo) costs around 140 USD here. That would be quite a lot of money to save (even if I pour in a new gearbox oil which currently has only 10,000 miles).
The ultimate question is - can this job be done without any special equipment? I have done some stuff on my own already (spark plugs, oil+filter, brake pads, brake rotors, coolant...) but I sense that the clutch change may be waaay harder. The last thing I would like to end up with is a car torn apart with myself crying over it...
Thank you for all your thoughts.

[zoidberg444]

I did the clutch on my 1KR-FE Yaris. I maintain my cousins 2SZ Yaris although Toyota changed the clutch when she got it from the dealers as part of the deal because it was cooked. I did notice the engine bay is a lot "tighter" in that than my 3 cylinder model.

Its certainly a more intermediate job. You will have to jack the car up. Get it higher off the ground for a job like this than just an oil change. I put mine up on 4 stands so it was level. You will need a good set of sockets and spanners. 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm, 19mm, 21mm and 24mm if I remember correctly. I used my 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 inch ones. Variety of extensions. Hammers. Chisel. A big ass breaker bar. Ply bars, screwdrivers. A 30mm 12 point socket for the axle nuts. Pliers. A impact gun would help. Some brake clean.

One thing I would say is I don't know what the rust is like where you are or what its like on the car. Rust can make things a really bad day. You can snap bolts or they just won't budge. We have bad rust here in the UK. I make home brew penetrating oil with a 50/50 mix of ATF and acetone. I know rust is even worse in Scandinavia, Canada and the northern US.

To do the clutch on mine was probably 2 days out of 5 days of repairs. I did a thread about my experience here. (http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58345) The main repairs were actually to the body but I had to do it before it failed and having the entire front end off made it easier.

[CrankyOldMan]

The clutch is not something to take lightly. I've replaced it twice on my car, once when I swapped the engine. You really need to be prepared to spend a few days with it if you're not already set up with the right tools and shop equipment. Even then, things can go wrong and you'll end up damaging or losing an important part. That really sucks, because your car is not drive-able, and it increases the cost of the repair.

I would also suggest taking it to a shop and having them diagnose it first. It may just be some contamination in the brake lines, or a mechanical issue with the clutch pedal or cylinder. Jumping straight to replacing the clutch is like a liver transplant for someone with a fever.

[IllusionX]

I was quoted 8hours for clutch change. While you are under there, it's time to change the flywheel and/or resurface.

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[Bluevitz-rs]

I'd try bleeding the clutch first.

It's also possible the slave cylinder had corrosion in it or even the master making it difficult to actuate.

[tmontague]

I agree with Crank and Blue. If you havent spent a lot of time under the car and you don't have air tools then I wouldn't do it yourself. If you've never had the ball joint off the car then those alone can stop you before you start. Without those proper tools to make your life easier a straightforward 2 day job for a driveway mechanic can be a week from hell.

At $450 that is a great price if in were you I'd have the shop do it.

That said bleeding the clutch first is a good bet, I'm not convinced it's the clutch itself

[thebarber]

$450 all-in is a good price

[komichal]

Guys, thank you very much for all your comments. As I definitely do not have so much time plus I do need to use the car daily (the only car in the family) I would definitely not risk all the potential issues and the difficulty of the job. I will ask the garage man to do so if it is necessary.
I am visiting Toyota authorized service center every year for AC review and cleanup, having them doing occasionally some minor jobs. Half a year ago I asked them to change the brake fluid - which I assume is the same for clutch and bleeding the clutch is automatic in this case, right?
I did not discuss the possible root cause of the stiff clutch with them. I just asked them whether it is OK to drive with it and they responded "the clutch is not slipping and the whole clutch is in safe conditions for driving. If the stiffness is acceptable for you you can still use it. If you need to do something about it we can definitely take a look but it will cost quite some money because it will take some hours to dismount and analyze everything". At that moment I did not know how difficult the operation is so I stopped to look for a fix. They basically recommended to drive it "as is" and once the clutch starts slipping then go for replacement.
BTW that 450 USD for complete replacement is of course a cost offered by an unauthorized technician. I believe the authorized service center would take A LOT more.

[WeeYari]

Keep driving. In my experience, a worn clutch manifests itself by slipping or becoming difficult to engage the shifter, not a stiff pedal.

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[zoidberg444]

Keep an eye on it. Mine had started slipping in 3rd probably more than 30,000 miles before I changed it. It would still grip if I was gentle on the accelerator.

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[komichal]

I have seen some other discussions for other non-Toyota cars and most people mentioned that when they had this problem (stiff clutch pedal but clutch not slipping) they had to change the clutch bearing only, some guys even reported that they just cleaned up the bearing and put some high-temp grease around and the clutch was going nicely then.

But I expect that changing the bearing only is still a difficult job too, more or less the same as changing the whole clutch. Is that correct? The bearing itself costs around 40 USD and if it is a lot easier to change just the bearing I would give it a try...

[Bluevitz-rs]

You still need to pull the transmission to get to the release bearing if that's what you are referring to.

[zoidberg444]

There is no point doing all the work to drop the gearbox out to only do the bearing. Especially when you have rust, because the car is only going to come apart a few times before everything is stripped, seized and chewed to hell anyway.

The throw out bearing comes with the clutch kit 90% of the time anyway. It certainly did with the LUK kit i got to do mine.

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[komichal]

OK, that is what I was afraid of. Anyway, I will keep driving and hopefully everything will be OK. Thank you all!